Al shabaab militants have publicly executed two men accused of collaborating with the federal government of Somalia as ‘secret agents’, a witness said on Saturday.

A father of one of the executed men, told Radio Shabelle that his son was innocent and has been working as an employee at an ice factory in Burhakabo town of Bay region. The two young men were executed by firing squad in public at an square in Awdhegle town, an Al shabaab stronghold in Somalia’s southern lower Shabelle region on Saturday afternoon, according to the father.

“My son was staying only 20 days in Awdhegle town for family visit and was killed by Al shabaab, accusing him of spying for Somali government,” cried the father.

Awdhegle, which is a strategic district in Lower Shabelle region fell to Al shabaab just three months ago after Somali army and African Union forces abandoned the town.

IS has executed two young men in Sirte whom it accused of being Libya Dawn spies. The murders were carried out in the usual fashion, with the victims being crucified on the frame of a former advertising hoarding in the middle of a roundabout in the town.

The names of those murdered are not yet known.

Yesterday IS forces raided 600 homes in Sirte and threw out the residents. It is unclear why this was done though one local has said that she believes that the accommodation was wanted for foreign fighters coming into the town.

The terrorists’ crackdown on dissent shows no sign of letting up. There are unconfirmed reports that they are holding more than 150 men in a compound in Nufaliya, 140 kilometres east of Sirte. Their offence has been that they either refused to join the fighters or declare their allegiance to IS.

SANAA, Yemen: A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the police chief’s house in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Sunday, killing seven civilians and security forces in a failed assassination attempt after militants killed two other security officials elsewhere in the country.

Police Chief Shallal Al-Shayei survived a similar assassination attempt last month, as did the governor of the province, which forces loyal to the internationally recognized government pried away from Shiite Houthi rebels last year. Aden’s previous governor was killed in an attack claimed by a local Islamic State affiliate.

Ambulances raced to the police chief’s house after the explosion, which could be heard across the city, witnesses said. Officials said an armored vehicle blocked the suicide car bomber meters from the gates of the house. Seven people were killed and 12 injured after the explosion ripped through a bus that was passing by.

Yemen has been mired in a conflict pitting the Shiite Houthi rebels against the internationally-backed government, which is allied with a Saudi-led coalition. The fighting has killed more than 5,800 people since last March, when the coalition began striking Houthi targets from the air.

The chaos has allowed a powerful local Al-Qaeda affiliate and a more recently formed branch of the Daesh group to expand their reach, including in Aden, Yemen’s commercial hub.

US drones have carried out a number of strikes since the start of the year targeting Al-Qaeda militants, according to security officials and witnesses, who said drone strikes killed 13 militants on Sunday in Jaar, a town seized by Al-Qaeda last year. They did not know the affiliation of the militants.

It was not immediately possible to confirm the account. US officials rarely speak publicly about the covert drone program.
The Saudi-led coalition meanwhile appears to have stepped up airstrikes in northern Yemen targeting the Houthis and allied army units loyal to a former president. Residents said the coalition launched at least 35 strikes on Sunday in the capital and the northern province of Jawf.

In Saada, the Houthis’ northern heartland, Houthi officials and witnesses said an air raid killed at least 30 people on Saturday. It was not clear if they were civilians or fighters.

Elsewhere in Yemen, Police Chief Adel Al-Asbahi of Bayda province was killed by a bomb planted in his vehicle on Sunday, while Mohammed Al-Dhali, of the special forces, was gunned down by attackers on a motorcycle in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa. No group has claimed responsibility for the killings.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Witnesses requested anonymity for security reasons.

[TASS] Two militants were killed in the capital city of the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. A security source said, "Two gunmen have been killed in a special operation in Nalchik."

According to earlier reports, the mother of one of the gunmen was evacuated from the private house where security forces had blocked the gunmen.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the National Anti-terrorism Committee said one gunman was blocked in the house. He said, "Kabardino-Balkaria's law enforcement agencies received information that an armed person suspected of involvement in terrorist activities might be in a private house in Nalchik’s Tsiolkovsky Street."

The spokesman added, "People from neighboring houses were evacuated. Police demanded the gunman surrender arms. After talks, he agreed to release his mother from the house. The woman also tried to talk him into surrendering. Instead, he opened gunfire at the law enforcers. It is planned to finish the active phase of the special operation in the daytime."

[Iran Press TV] A Turkish court has placed in durance vileDrop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! 10 Syrians over suspected links to a recent deadly kaboom in the historic city of Istanbul.

According to Turkish state media, the Syrians were among a group of 17 people who were referred to court in Istanbul on Sunday over accusations of premeditated murder and membership in a terrorist organization.

The 10 are to remain in jail pending trail while six people were freed on bail and proceedings against the 17th are still undergoing.

The blast took place in the city's Sultanahmet square, a major tourist attraction, claiming the lives of 10 German citizens and injuring 15 more from various nationalities on Tuesday.

Ankara claims that the attack was carried out by a member of the Daesh [Islamic State]Takfiri...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... terror group who had recently entered The Sick Man of Europe Turkey...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... from Syria, although no group has claimed responsibly for the incident.

[REUTERS] New York City police were investigating on Sunday an assault on a man who was pummeled by suspects shouting "ISIS, ISIS," leaving him with bruises on his head and face, authorities said.

The 43-year-old man was attacked while walking with a nine-year-old girl in the Bronx around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the New York City Police Department.

He was punched several times in the head, knocked down and kicked, police said. The victim, whose name was not given, was treated for injuries at a hospital and released.

He had been wearing a man dress shalwar kameez, a traditional South Asian outfit featuring a long tunic, the New York Times...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported.

The attack comes amid increasing anxiety in the United States over the threat posed by Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems...., also known as ISIS, which has grabbed credit for myrmidon attacks around the world.

A Muslim couple inspired by the group killed 14 people on Dec. 2 in San Bernardino, Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,, just weeks after gunnies linked to Islamic State killed 130 people in Gay Paree.

No one was immediately tossed in the slammerPlease don't kill me! in the New York assault, which is under investigation by the police department's Hate Crime Task Force, the agency said in a statement on Saturday.

#1
The 43-year-old man was attacked while walking with a nine-year-old girl in the Bronx around 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
He had been wearing a man dress shalwar kameez, a traditional South Asian outfit featuring a long tunic, the New York Times

#2
According to a 2013 Census Bureau estimate, 45.8% of the Bronx's population was white [white, not Hispanic or Latino 10.5%], 43.3% was black or African American, 4.2% Asian, 3.0% American Indian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, and 3.3% of two or more races. In addition, 54.6% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race.

The Census Bureau considers the Bronx to be the most diverse area in the country. There is an 89.7 percent chance that any two residents, chosen at random, would be of different race or ethnicity. Approximately 44.3% of the population over the age of 5 speak only English at home, which is roughly 570,000 people. The majority (55.7%) of the population speak non-English languages at home. Over 580,600 people (45.2% of the population) speak Spanish at home.

Armed men in the area have been targeting security forces and vital national installations for more than a decade.

Four TTP suspects arrested

Security forces also arrested four suspected militants allegedly affiliated with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from Qilla Saifullah and Pishin districts of Balochistan.

Security sources said three suspected militants were picked up from Nassai area of Qilla Saifullah during a raid in Karbala village of Pishin district.

"Security personnel are interrogating the arrested men", they said, who were shifted to an undisclosed location.

TTP has targeted security forces in Killa Saifullah, Sanjavi and other parts of northern Balochistan during the last few years.

Law-enforcement agencies have intensified their operations against terrorists in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan after the announcement of the National Action Plan to combat terrorism in the country.

Captain York: damn, just damn!
Lt. O'Rourke: you can't say that Captain, remember the code
Captain York: The hell I can't! You ever heard of Clarks Gabel? He made a fortune saying it just once, I said it twice so I will be very rich.
Sgt. Maj O'Rourke: with all due respect sirs, BUGTI's! The mark of Chief Foster Brooks is on this bottle. The BUGTI's are on the warpath!
Philadelphia Wednesdayafternoon: fuck it's over
Lt. O'Rourke: what's over?
Philadelphia Wednesdayafternoon: My career, after That Hagen Gurl bombed I should have retired.
Sgt. Mulcahy: here have a drink

QUETTA: The Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan arrested eight suspected insurgents of a banned organisation in a search operation in various areas of Zhob district on Sunday.

FC conducted search operation on a tip-off as a result of which eight suspected insurgents belonging to a banned organisation were apprehended. The suspected insurgents were shifted to an undisclosed location for further interrogation.

[DAWN] KARACHI: Nine people including seven children were maimed in a grenade attack near a clinic in Chakiwara on Saturday.

Police believed that the attack could be a 'reaction' to the recent killing of some known figures of Lyari ...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot....gang warfare.

While the grenade landed near a private clinic, Lyari SP Aftab Nizamani believed that the real target of the assailants could be a mobile van of the Chakiwara cop shoppe parked near the clinic.

According to senior medico-legal officer of the Civil Hospital Bloody Karachi...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... Dr Nisar Shah, the victims were seven children and two men. "None of them sustained serious injuries," he said.

Lyari SP Nizamani suspected involvement of the Uzair Baloch-led gang in the attack. He said three gangsters had been killed in 'encounters' in recent days in parts of Lyari. "Today's grenade attack might be a reaction to the killing of the gangsters," he added.

[DAWN] Parents spent a restless Saturday as rumours of possible terrorist attacks on schools circulated in the picturesque provincial capital's rural and urban areas and thus, forcing most headmasters to close educational institutions much early.

The panicked parents rushed to the schools to pick their children recalling the Dec 2014 Army Public School murderous Moslem attack, which killed 144 students and staff members.

Sources said the district administration had directed the headmasters of some government and private schools located in the cantonment area, Nothia and Gulberg to close their campuses for one day (Saturday) insisting there were reports of possible terrorist attack on them.

They said the directives were not meant for the entire district.

"Under a coordinated plan, the decision of school closure was taken by district administration, police and security agencies," an officer privy to the development told Dawn.

He said the threats were schools specific.

In light of the district administration's directives circulated on Friday night, the officers of the elementary and secondary education department rushed to the schools in their respective areas on Saturday morning and asked headmasters to close campuses.

[Rudaw] The Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....s (ISIS) has tossed in the calabooseDrop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! two preachers in their stronghold of djinn-infested Mosul... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... for violating the group's rules and regulations on Friday sermon preaching.

According to a Kurdish military official east of Mosul, the preachers were arrested for refusing to mention or praise ISIS as required by a new ISIS law issued last week for all mosques where Friday prayers are performed.

Preachers are also required to praise ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdad in their preach.

The two arrested preachers led Friday prayers in Mosul's Falah and Barid neighborhoods.

ISIS has appointed its own Friday preacher in Mosul who conveys the group's message to the local population and encourages support for jihad among people.

(IraqiNews.com) Kirkuk – A security source in Kirkuk province said on Sunday, that 22 ISIS elements had been either killed or wounded in an aerial bombing by the international coalition southwest of the province.

The source said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com, “This afternoon, warplanes of the international coalition bombed sites belonging to ISIS in the village of al-Shaheed in the district of al-Rashad (35 km southwest of Kirkuk), resulting in the death of 12 ISIS elements and wounding 10 others.”

The source added, “The air strike was based on accurate intelligence received by the coalition forces.”

(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – A source in the Iraqi police said on Sunday, that a civilian had been killed by a militant attack east of Baghdad.

The source said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, “Unidentified militants opened fire against a civilian in the area of Jamliya east of Baghdad, resulting in his immediate death,” pointing out that, “A security force cordoned off the area of the incident and transferred the dead to the forensic medicine department.”

(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – On Sunday, a security source in Anbar Province announced, that the security forces killed 25 elements of the ISIS organization, while indicated to the notable role of the Army Aviation in shelling the organization’s hideouts in the city.

The source said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “A force from the army’s 8th brigade backed by Anbar police has advanced in al-Sijariya and al-Jubiya areas east of Ramadi, after a number of confrontation and clashes with the elements of the ISIS organization.”

The source added, “25 elements of the ISIS organization were killed during the confrontations,” pointing out that, “The Army Aviation played a notable role in shelling the hideouts of the organization in both areas.”

(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – On Sunday, Commander of the Rapid Intervention Forces General Thamer Mohamed Ismaeil announced, that 21 elements of the ISIS organization were killed and six hideouts belonging to the organization were destructed in eastern Ramadi.

Ismaeil said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “A force from the Rapid Intervention Forces carried out an operation in Husaibah area (7 km east of Ramadi), killing 21 elements of ISIS and destructing three vehicles belonging to the organization.

Ismaeil added, “The security force managed to destruct six hideouts and headquarters for the ISIS organization in the area,” pointing out that, “Eight improvised explosive devices exploded during the advance of the forces in the area.”

(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – On Sunday, federal police command announced, that 40 elements of the ISIS organization were killed in a military operations in eastern Ramadi (110 km west of Baghdad), while indicate to the destruction of five vehicles equipped with heavy weapons.

The federal police Chief Raed Shakir Jawdat said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com, “The federal police elements carried out a military operation and advanced towards Juwiba and al-Sedikiya areas in eastern Ramadi, killing 40 elements of the organization.”

Jawdat added, “The operation also resulted in the destruction of five vehicles equipped with heavy weapons, six defense positions belonging to ISIS, as well as detonating 16 improvised explosive devices,” noting that, “The security forces continue its advance to meet the military troops in Sofiya axis in order to attack the enemy.”

Noteworthy, Joint Special Operations Command announced, that the full liberalization of Ramadi (110 km west of Baghdad), while raised the Iraqi flag over its government complex.

(IraqiNews.com) al-Anbar – The federal police captain Raed Shaker Jawdat announced on Sunday, that the police forces killed 31 ISIS element in eastern of Ramadi, indicating that the troops were advancing towards Joabh area to liberate it from the control of the organization.

Jawdat said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “The federal police forces killed 31 element of ISIS and destroyed four vehicles mounted with heavy weapons, in addition to destructing five defensive positions and detonating an explosive device in Husaybah area east of Ramadi.”

Jawdat added, “The federal police forces advanced from the direction of Husaybah towards Joabh to meet with the troops in the axis of al-Sufiyah east of Ramadi.”

[Iran Press TV] At least 15 Iraqi people have bit the dust and nine others sustained injuries after two separate road bombs went off in Ramadi and Baghdad.

One went kaboom! near a popular market in the Mahmudiya district, south of the capital Baghdad, on Sunday, killing two people and wounding nine others, Arabic-language al-Sumeria news website reported.

Meanwhile,...back at the game, the Babe was wondering why the baseball kept getting bigger and bigger. Finally it hit him... at least 13 people, including seven women and three children, also bit the dust in another blast in the al-Bu Ghanim village, in Sufiyah district, east of the Anbar lovely provincial capital, Ramadi,

According to the report, the civilians were on the move to escape from the Daesh [Islamic State]Takfiri...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... terrorist group's violence in the region.

[Iran Press TV] Three US soldiers have reportedly been kidnapped from south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

"We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq...We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals," said US State Department front man John Kirby in a statement released Sunday.

"The safety and security of American citizens overseas is our highest priority," he added.

According to other reports, a translator also went missing along with the US nationals on Friday.

An Iraqi official was quoted by CNN as saying that, "A company filed a report Sunday about three of its staff going missing two days ago. They are American contractors. We are looking into this report."Three may only be the beginning.

[IsraelTimes] Victim Dafna Meir, 38, from settlement of Otniel tried to fight off assailant; army launches manhunt for Paleostinian attacker

An Israeli woman was stabbed and killed in an attack inside her home in the West Bank settlement of Otniel, outside of Hebron, on Sunday evening.

The victim was named later as Dafna Meir, 38, a mother of four.

The attacker, whose identity was not immediately known, expeditiously departed at a goodly pace of the crime.

The army said in a statement that the terrorist broke into the woman's home and stabbed her to death.

According to the initial investigation, the woman struggled with the terrorist in the entrance to the family's home. Her 15-year-old daughter witnessed the attack.

Soldiers and coppers launched a manhunt for the attacker, setting up checkpoints in the area. The attacker was believed to have fled to a nearby Arab village, specifically Khirbet Karme, located just north of Otniel, according to Israeli media.

The army instructed residents to remain in their homes as they searched for the attacker.

Channel 2 news said the attacker was seen on security cameras fleeing the settlement.

[IsraelTimes] Paleostinian workers will not be allowed into the Jewish settlements located in the Hebron Hills on Monday, following the murder of a female resident allegedly by a Paleostinian man on Sunday, the southern West Bank local government announced.

Dafna Meir, 38, was stabbed to death in her home in the Otniel settlement outside of Hebron on Sunday evening, while three of her children were in the house.

The terrorist is believed to be a Paleostinian man who had permission to work in the Jewish settlement. He expeditiously departed at a goodly pace after the attack, prompting security forces to set up roadblocks and lock down the area as they searched for him.

As a result of the attack, the Hebron Hills Regional Council decided to forbid Paleostinian workers from entering the settlements in the area the next day, the council announced on Sunday night.

"More orphans in the family of terror victims. This is a terrible reminder that there is a war going on here," Yochai Dimri, head of the Hebron Hills Regional Council, told Army Radio

[Gulf Today] Two suspected Daesh supporters and two civilians were killed in separate encounters in Lanao del Sur province, fueling continued speculation that the extremist group has already established a foothold in the Philippines.

Colonel Roseller Murillo said one of the clashes occurred in the town of Buadipuso, which resulted in the killing of a village chief and his son early Friday morning. He identified the leader as Panundi Sultan who was checking into reports on the presence of a group of armed men wearing dark jackets, headbands and waving a Daesh flag when they were fired upon.

Murillo said, "The relatives of the Sultans retaliated upon hearing their deaths, engaged the group in a firefight that killed one of the suspects." .

A Daesh supporter was killed and his comrade was injured when pursuing soldiers caught up with the group five hours later in the neighbouring town of Maguing.

The killings caused further concern that Daesh has established a foothold in Mindanao after getting support from Abu Sayyaf militants and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. But the military has repeatedly denied that Daesh has already established such a foothold there.

[ARA News] QAMISHLI – Subsequent to one day of clashes with militant fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS), forces loyal to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad regained control of several areas in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, officials said on Sunday.

“Our army forces recaptured the districts of Ayash and Begayliya in Deir ez-Zor city after fierce clashes with ISIS terrorists,” Ali Ibrahim, an officer in the Syrian army, told ARA News.

“We also recaptured the Saaqa military base in the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor. The campaign with continue until we liberate the whole province from ISIS,” Ibrahim said.

This comes just one day after ISIS militants stormed the regime-held neighborhoods in Deir ez-Zor and killed more than 150 people, including pro-regime soldiers and their families.

“The militants broke into the regime-held neighborhoods of Ayash and Begayliya, and attacked people in their homes,” Helwani said. “Their main target was the pro-regime soldiers and their families.”

Speaking to ARA News, a civil rights activist reported that ISIS militants first targeted Ayash and Begayliya with several car bomb attacks, before storming the two neighborhoods. “Dozens of women and children were brutally beheaded,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “ISIS is punishing families of pro-regime soldiers after the group lost the battle for Deir ez-Zor’s military airport.”

Also on Sunday, clashes broke out between pro-regime troops and ISIS fighters in the vicinity of Bighel village in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor, where casualties were reported from both sides.

Most of the city of Deir ez-Zor and its countryside is under ISIS control. However, pro-regime army troops still hold control of several neighborhoods in the city beside a military airport in Deir ez-Zor suburb.

The province of Deir ez-Zor is deemed strategic for ISIS for it links the group’s de facto capital of Raqqa with Iraqi territory controlled by the radical group.

[ARA News] ALEPPO – The Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group executed on Sunday four of its own militants in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, after accusing them of robbery and corruption.

“ISIS leadership in Manbij arrested four of its own members and convicted them of corruption,” local media activist Nasser Teljbini told ARA News.

“The militants were accused of stealing gold and five million Syrian Liras ($22,700) from the Islamic Bank of Manbij.”

Subsequent to interrogations, the Sharia Court ordered the immediate execution of the suspects, according to the source.

“The four ISIS members were executed by firing squad in front of hundreds of people in central Manbij,” Teljbini reported.

The radical group has recently started to punish its own members in public in order to show its strict commitment to prosecute anyone who violates its regulations, even if the violators are from its own jihadis.

[Iran Press TV] The UN Security Council has crossed off Iran's Bank Sepah and its international subsidiary from its sanction list following the implementation of a historic nuclear agreement between Tehran and the world powers.

The measure was taken on Sunday, a day after the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was announced by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

Bank Sepah had been on the UN's blacklist since 2007 over an alleged role in Iran's missile program.

Meanwhile,...back at the wine tasting, Vince was about to start on his third quart... US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know KerryFormer Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... announced that his country would repay Iran a $400 million debt remaining from the 1979 Islamic Revolution, along with an additional $1.3 billion in interest.

Earlier, Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce Mohsen Jalalpour said that Iran would re-apply to join the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) now that the sanctions are lifted.

[CSMONITOR] An ISIS "massacre" and possible kidnapping in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zor may have left hundreds of civilians and fighters dead, according to monitoring groups and Syrian state media.

Up to 400 civilians were kidnapped in an Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... attack on government-held neighborhoods in the city and taken to the countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a United Kingdom-based monitoring group.

Replacing oil sales and bombed bank deposits most efficiently.

"There is genuine fear for their lives, there is a fear that the group might execute them as it has done before in other areas," group founder Rami Abdul Rahman told Rooters. SOHR sources reported that victims of the kidnapping, an event that could not be independently verified, included families of pro-government forces.

On Saturday, SOHR reported that 135 had been killed in the attacks on Deir al-Zor, including 85 civilians as well as pro-government and rebel forces. SANA, the Syrian state news agency, reported a "horrific massacre" of 300 civilians, but did not report a kidnapping. Both government and independent sources reported execution-style killings.

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.